Name - Manuhakh [img]http://i.imgur.com/UePDAR7.png[/img] Flag - The Emperor has his own flag, this is the one used when the Shogunate must represent itself as a whole to the rest of the world. It is as follows. [img]http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/35347888/images/1412647081590.png[/img] Capital - [hider=Alaaki] [img]http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5101a1f7e4b00028821cd125/52179a76e4b08f80cfdbe7f3/52179a7ce4b000bbb34ac348/1377278594668/Ajin+Edo+Wonderpark+1.jpg[/img] Alaaki was built upon orders of the first emperor of Manuhakh to serve as his personal residence and the centre of administration for the entire country. It has come a long way since it's inception 200 Years ago, acting as the hub of all commerce in the entire region, and home to the Imperial Academy, where future bureaucrats are instructed and educated on their various positions, and also where the rigorous Imperial Examinations are held. The economy of Alaaki takes a bit from everything, but the most important aspects is its production of textiles. Alaakian cloth is prized throughout the country, due to the distinctive material found on the island of Hadaf where the city is located. Silk. No where else in the country is silk found than on Hadaf, and all attempts to grow it elsewhere have failed. As such, Alaaki is often nicknamed The City of the Loom. [/hider] Other Major Settlements - [hider=Haian] [img]http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p3/runningbrook/oka-area-sei-an.jpg[/img] Haian was built by the Oni long before the arrival of the first Orcs. The oni developed the lake city by creating artificial islands and building upon them. This method was so successful that soon the little town of Haian was a bustling city. To this day, Haian remains the most populated city in Manuhakh, with the ancient Imperial Palace looming over the city as a reminder of it's time as the former capital of the Shogunate. The palace is now used by the reigning Shogun as his place of residence, now that the emperor has control over Alaaki. Haian is noted for its rice production. [/hider] [hider=Kotar] [img]http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2013-07-26-5DaysinKyoto6.jpg[/img] Kotar is the first city founded by the Orcs on Manuhakh. It is the centre of farming on Manuhakh, with the wide open plains of the Island of Mazad supporting the grazing habits of the cattle the Orcs brought with them to the Islands. Kotar is home to the annual Beef Festival, where farmers from all over the country come to sell their best cuts off beef and other meats. [/hider] [hider=Lur] [img]http://www.meijishowa.com/images/2840.jpg[/img] Lur is about as small as a city can become before it is designated as a town. This city is primarily inhabited by the Snow Elves, though Orcs and Oni can be found in the form of administrators, warlords and bureaucrats. The city is very poor, with most inhabitants living off of subsistence fishing and gathering. [/hider] Population - 6,500,000 Races - [Hider=Orcs (60%)] [img]http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ec320be4b0b9e16a03b892/t/55078292e4b019f34f9b9c74/1426555539776/[/img] The Orcs of Manuhakh are members of the Southern Orcish linguistic group, distinct from their brethren still inhabiting the mainland. Physically, however, southern orcs are no different than their barbaric mountain dwelling kin. The key difference is their cultural paths, with the southern orcs abandoning the nomadic traditions, leaving the harsh mountains for the warm plains, developing an agricultural society with less of an emphasis of raiding and tribalism, and more concerned with things like the city, logistics of food, innovation in technology. These Orcs later began migrating south, towards the fertile islands of Manuhakh, so called for its abundant native lavender. By 200 bc(?), the Southern Orcs had totally left the Mainland for Manuhakh, an event described in their national epic. [/hider] [hider=Oni (26%)] [img]http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080803033723/megamitensei/images/6/69/ShutendojiSMT.jpg[/img] Oni are the indigenous inhabitants of most of Manuhakh, primarly the west and the central islands. They are very closely related to Orcs physically and genetically, more so than even being a Subspecies, a more accurate description of their relation would be to call the Oni and Orcs two different races of the same species. However, the Oni are not related to the Orcs culturally nor linguistically, the Oni languages being much more agglutinate than the highly inflected Southern Orcish. Oni were also iron workers, taking advantage of the natural deposits of high quality iron native to the archipelago; indeed, Oni iron is a highly prized and very expensive material. Native Oni assimilated well with the Orcs, and in fact, the Majority of Manuhakh's Orcs are mixed blood with Oni. The traditional iron club is a mainstay of Manuhakhese armaments with a particularly oni flavoring, the iron club itself being unfavored by the Orcs. For the most part, Oni are viewed as equals, and the Oni language is the 2nd official tongue of Manuhakh. [/hider] [hider=Snow Elves (14%)] [img]http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120222094444/medievaluniverses/images/7/7b/Snow_elf_by_thelizangel-d332rua.jpg[/img] Snow Elves are one of the the two indigenous people of Manuhakh, particularly the easternmost islands. The Orcs first encountered them during colonization efforts under the Karthukh Emperor. Technologically, the Snow Elves were very far behind the Orcs, having stone age tools, no agriculture, no villages, and a hunter gatherer way of life when the late Iron Age Orcs started settling. While there was opposition, needless to say the small statured, technologically backwards snow elves, were no challenge to subjugate. Modern Snow Elves make up the poorest demographic in Manuhakh, many living across all the Islands as serfs, barely even acknowledged by their colonizers. The Snow Elf Language family is nearly extinct, with only two surviving languages, both with only a handful of elderly speakers and no efforts toward documentation. [/hider] Culture - The culture of Manuhakh shows a rich blend of Mainland Orcish and Oni traditions. At the foundation of the society is the hierarchy, at the top is the Emperor, at the bottom the serfs. The agricultural way of life dominates to this day, farming primarily barley, millet, and corn introduced in prehistory from the mainland and traditional oni rice native to the islands. All military matters are handled by the warrior class, a concept borrowed by the Oni. However, do not believe that the people of Manuhakh are peaceful. They are every bit as aggressive as their ancestors. The warrior god Orek, known to the Northern Orcs of the mountains as Wuleg, remains popular among all people, as does the traditional methods of forging. Among the warrior class of Manuhakh, there is a tradition of literary and musical excellence. Men and Women of this class are expected to be highly educated, and to adhere to a traditional code of honor that derives from the Orcish Warrior's code and the Oni's Way of the Warrior. Many warriors in can be found educating themselves in the classics of literature and science, practicing their musical instruments or painting when not engaged in battle. Also unique to these warriors is their religious practices. While the peasantry may simply offer gifts at a shrine once in a while or pray for a good harvest, the warriors take an approach to know the gods and learn from them. Warriors will go into deep meditative states for hours on end and engage in ritual prayer several times a day. The call primarily upon the war gods Oruk, the god of War Strategy (Wuleg on the Mainland) and Krom, the god of Might in war.(Gruumsh on the mainland) The Pantheon of the Manuhakh contains a mix of native orc deities and those coming from the Oni and Snow Elves. Orek reigns supreme as the national deity, while farmers may take Ahret, the fertility goddess, as their patron, or Krom among the warrior class. Crimes - Crime appears to be low on paper, however this is not due to lack of violence but rather a result of the fact that violent behavior towards ones lower class men is not criminalized, but rather encouraged. The usual menagerie of crime occurs in Manuhakh, with Murder, Assault, Robbery and Rape most common due to the upper class' abuses of the peasants and serfs. It is also well known that bands of raiders patrol areas that are not under the direct policing of the Warlord or his allied warriors. Often by the time he is able to mobilize a response, the raiders have already left. Government type - Shogunate: The generals of the warrior caste hold vast tracts of land worked by serfs. The various generals employ tribes of the warrior caste, who pledge their allegance to the general, and act on his behalf in conflicts. The strongest of these generals becomes the emperor of Manuhakh so long as they can protect the position. People in power - [b]Emperor Dagik Dimorham[/b] - Dagik has been emperor of the Islands for a good 40 years now, although his power is beginning to wane in comparison to the Shogun. Dagik's rule has been described as tumultuous and internally unstable, especially with his decision to implement an Isolationist approach to foreign policy. In responce, his life has been threatened by the Shogun himself if he does not revoke the declaration. Dagik has stood firm on his position to shut out the world from Manuhakh; leading to his ultimate downfall. [b]Shogun Hizaki Tamehara[/b] - Shogun Tamehara, of the Hizaki clan, is an Oni who has risen from a simple warrior in the service of a failing Warlord to Shogun of Manuhakh. His story is one that is told thought the Islands, and rightfully so. Now, however, Hizaki is part of a great conflict between Haian and Alaaki. As the country remains officially Isolationist, the Shogun has been sneaking in outside traders in an attempt to gather the money required to take down the Emperor and open up Manuhakh. As shogun, all Warlords are technically loyal to him, but Tamehara knows better. He needs strong allies if he is to take down Dagik and what ever Warlords may remain loyal to him. [b]Lopakh Kolasrop, High Sodan of Kotar[/b] [b]Mori Aiori, High Sodan of Lur[/b] [b]Silok Dagik, Imperial Prince[/b] - In many ways, Silok is little more than a pawn for Shogun Hizaki. A cowardly man, he will bend with ease at the will of a strong figure, something that Hizaki has been taking advantage of to get favors in the Imperial Court. Silok will be vital to Hizaki's coup. Industry - At the moment, all trading with Manuhakh is offically banned, but Shogun Hizaki is a friend to many. Negotiations with the Shogun are not hard to do, and he will gladly work with traders to help them in and out of the country without Dagik knowing. The industry of Manuhakh is separated between the 4 major islands. Silk production and textiles dominate over the center most island, but the most significant industry by far is the forging and metal working done in Haian. From here, blacksmiths create almost all the weapons and metal tools in the country in the ancient oni tradition. Haian is also the center of production for firearms, an experimental weapon that may begin to catch on if it can be done cheaply. This in particular is of interest to the Shogun for is planned coup. On the northern island of Mazad comes most of the wheat based products like bread, flour and beer; along with most meats. Sake is produced exclusively in Haian from the many rice paddies that are found on its home island. Military - Manuhakh's military is a feudal system, with the Shogun at the top. The hierarchy can be described as such [b]Shogun[/b]- The strongest of all warriors in the country, they act as a leader and highest general to all. The Shogun acts as a second, and often more powerful, head of state. [b]Sodan (Warlord)[/b] - These are the personal warlords under the service of the Shogun. The act as governors for their fiefs as well, and often hire bureaucrats to manage their many responsibilities. They command the lower ranks of warrior families and personal soldiers. High Sodan refers the the Sodan who controls the Territorial Seat [b]Thradur (Samurai)[/b] - The common members of the warrior class, these knights pledge their service to a Sodan and guard his territory with their lives. The thradur also act as police of sorts, but there has also been many problems with their corruption and violence towards the commoners. Often, when a thradur's Sodan dies they will wander until a new master takes them on. These wanderers are called Ronin. Thradur have a sense of personal honor, and if they feel they have failed their master, their family or themselves, they will often commit ritual suicide to restore their honor. Landscape/Terrain - The landscape varies quite a bit from island to island. In the central and southern islands, the landscape is very mountainous, covered with bamboo forests, mulberry trees, where there is no stone poking out from the ground. The soil on dry land is rather poor, but the wetlands that form from the constant rain showers are known for their rich soils, and from these wetlands spring rice paddies and various sprout farms. The Southern most islands are all small and sandy, with little value the farthest south islands are totally uninhabited. To the North on the Island of Mazad, vast plains, meadows, and grasslands dominate the island, perfect land for farming and raising animals. The weather this far north ranges from warm in the summer to freezing in the winter. To the east, snow and tundra dominates. This rocky soiled island is unsuited for any kind of farming, and is too cold to grow anything. The waters around it are, however, rich with fish, and the native grasses are often woven by the natives to form their distinctive housing. History - Manuhakh began with the arrival of the Snow Elves. These people were rather technologically backwards, using stone and bone tools, grass woven clothes and homes, and still hollowing out tree logs for canoes. For the majority of the Island's existence, this was the only way of life. That was until the arrival of the Tasuki culture at an unknown point. These people were proto-Oni, and quickly dominated all the Islands save for one to the Far East. The Oni established many warring kingdoms and tribal unions, but failed to ever unify the Islands. It was then that fate brought the first Orcs from the Mainland to the Oni city of Haian. The Orc colonists took over Haian and quickly conquered the Oni, establishing themselves as rulers of the Island. The Iron Age had begun on Manuhakh, and it is at this time that we see the first description of the Kingdom as such, in a bronze tool with an incomplete carving, roughtly transliterated as "...ai Manushak-hai...", showing the archaic form of the Manuhakhese language. Around this time, the Kingdom began to splinter once again, leading into the Warring Kingdoms Era. At this time, technology skyrocketed for the Orcs, allowing them to continue a cycle of conquest and failure, each time the kingdoms getting bigger and bigger until The Era of the 3 Nations. The Kingdoms of Kotar, Haian, and Lur. Haian was the largest, lead by the legendary Karthukh Emperor. The Emperor's brilliant general, Bog of Asi began a campaign against Lur. The war was more of a formality, there was no way that the Snow Elves ever could have defeated the Orcs, but Bog put in all the effort anyways, his overkill sending a message to Kotar. When Haian declared war on Kotar, the nation was already in fear, but after the crushing defeat of Kotar's army by Bog at the Battle of Grohnak, the country conceded defeat and accepted annexation at the agreement that Bog would spare the lives of Kotar's officials. A unified nation, Manuhakh underwent its golden age at this time, with many innovations in the fields of art, science and politics. It was until the rise of the 4 Vile Emperors. These men nearly destroyed Manuhakh due to a mix of ineffective rulership, outright cruelty and or neglect to the common people, and in the case of the final vile emperor, the waste of the country's resources for his own extravagant lifestyle. It was in this time that the then Shogun revolted and took control of the Country in the Civil War of Manuhakh. The outcome of this war was a establishment of the new dynasty and the restoration of the country's stability. Manuhakh lived a pretty uneventful outcome until the rise to power of Dagik Dimorham, and his decision to end all outside trade. From that point on, the nation of Manuhakh has begun to stagnate, and many believe that a 2nd civil war could be coming.